Managing Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition that is associated with abnormal levels of sugar in the patient’s blood. There are two types of diabetes mellitus that are known today: type 1, or formerly known as juvenile diabetes, and type 2. The difference between the two is that the former causes deficiency of insulin in the body and requires insulin therapy, while the latter is ineffective resistance and requires proper diabetic diet and weight reduction. If these do no work to lower the levels of blood sugar, oral medications can be taken or injectable insulin must be administered.

Main goal in managing diabetes

Diabetes care involves the proper control of glucose levels in the blood to prevent suffering from any serious complications caused by diabetes. The main goal is to lower the levels of sugar in the blood to the normal range, without allowing it to go too low to prevent hypoglycemia. This makes it important to monitor your treatment and control in blood sugar levels to prevent undertreatment or overtreatment.

It’s a good thing there are blood glucose monitoring home kits available. The first one makes use of a reagent strip, while the second type of monitoring kit uses a glucose meter and a reagent strip. The second type is more common nowadays, as it gives a more accurate results compared to using the strips alone. Although the glucose levels in the body can also be determined through urine testing, there are no home kits available.

Treatments available

There are different treatments available for diabetes, although each one may depend on the needs of the patient and the type of diabetes he or she’s suffering from.

Type 2 is better managed with the right exercise, medication, and diet to control blood sugar levels. Weight reduction is the first step, together with controlling food intake and doing exercises. AS mentioned before, if these are not enough to keep the blood sugar levels normal, oral medications can be used. Type 1 diabetes on the other hand, requires administering of insulin, as well as exercise and diabetic diet.

Aerobic exercise, such as walking, swimming, running, and biking, are recommended to lower levels of blood glucose and improve blood circulation in the body. It will also help strengthen the heart and make it easier to maintain the recommended or ideal body weight. To ensure you’re on the right track, it will be best to ask a health care professional to design an exercise program for you.

Instead of using sugar, people suffering from diabetes are advised to use artificial or alternative sweeteners. These can be either non – nutritive or nutritive. Fructose and sorbitol are examples of nutritive sweeteners and they provide additional calories. However, it’s better than conventional sugar as it doesn’t raise blood glucose levels. Non – nutritive sweeteners on the other hand, include saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame.

Medications that are used for the treatment of diabetes are only available by prescription. Insulin, which is used to help lower blood glucose levels, are either injectable or can be used as infusion on the skin. Oral medications on the other hand, triggers the pancreas to release more insulin to control the sugar in the blood.

DISCLAIMER: THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY TREATMENT OR MEDICAL ADVICE. Always consult with qualified healthcare provider before embarking on a new treatment.
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